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Organized Trash Collection – see Coordinated Trash Collection

November 2017

Council Approves Trash Contract - The St. Paul City Council voted 5-2 on Wednesday to accept a five-year agreement for residential trash collection with a coalition of 15 trash haulers, painstakingly hammered out by city staff over the course of 14 months of negotiations, seven contract proposals and 10 drafts. (See article below.)

Agreement Reached on Coordinated Trash Collection – After 14 months of negotiations, seven contract proposals and 10 drafts, St. Paul officials say they have reached an agreement for coordinated collection with the city’s 15 private waste haulers. The city council will vote on the contract next Wednesday and set rates the following week. (See article below.)

February 2016

Background and Action Requested

Saint Paul City Council to seek input from residents regarding organized trash collectionResidents are encouraged to respond to the Open Saint Paul question and send trash bills.

Provide feedback by April 10, 2016.

SAINT PAUL, MINN – The Saint Paul City Council announced today that it will introduce a resolutionat its meeting next week indicating that it is considering organized trash collection within the city and directing the department of public works to solicit input from the city’s residents regarding priorities for transitioning to an organized system.

“The City Council is looking for feedback from our residents to help us set our priorities for thinking about an organized system,” said Council President Russ Stark. “We want to hear what’s important to maintain or change as we proceed forward.”

Currently, Saint Paul has an open system of trash collection resulting in the need for individuals to contract with their own hauler. This results in many haulers servicing each neighborhood across the city. In an organized system, one or multiple trash haulers are authorized to collect trash from a specific service area.

The Council has stated their intention to maintain opportunities for small, local, minority and women owned garbage haulers and to support living wage jobs as it considers a transition to an organized system. The resolution also highlights several benefits they anticipate the city will see as a result of organizing trash collection.

The Council is asking city residents to provide their input on which benefits they value most through Open Saint Paul. This same information will also be solicited from residents at community meetings and events over the next two months.

The council is also requesting that residents send their trash bills to the city in an effort to better understand what residents are currently paying for their trash service. Residents can cross out their name and the last 2 numbers of their street address and send their bill to public works via several methods:

Mail: Public Works, 1500 City Hall Annex, 25 W. 4th Street, Saint Paul, MN, 55102
E-mail: allinprogram@ci.stpaul.mn.us
Facebook: Post a status with a picture of your bill and the hashtag #ShareYourBillStP
Twitter: Tweet to or send a direct message to @cityofsaintpaul, or utilize the hashtag #ShareYourBillStP with a picture of your bill.

The information collected through these efforts will help the City Council understand residents’ current expectations and priorities around trash collection. It is anticipated that the collected information will be presented to the city council at a meeting in May, 2016.

The consideration of organized trash collection is one part of the city’s overall approach to solid waste management. The establishment of residential solid waste diversion goals in 2014 initiated a review of all city solid waste services. In November 2015, the city released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for collection and processing of recyclables in an effort to expand recycling opportunities and make recycling more convenient and cost-effective. The successful responders will begin their operations in January 2017. The city is also studying methods for the collection and processing of organic materials. While each of these programs individually can result in increased participation and a reduction in materials going to incinerators or landfills, a holistic, system-wide approach is seen as the key to meeting the city’s waste reduction and diversion goals.

Recently the Environment Committee of the Macalester-Groveland Community Council conducted a study of the current trash collection system and possible alternatives. If you’d like to see the results of their work go to: Taking out the Trash